Editorial: Two-year terms the best we can do?

Members of the Florida and U.S. Houses of Representatives serve two-year terms.

That is hardly news and everybody who follows politics and government tends to know that.

Still, a story in our newspaper the other day brought home what those two-year terms can mean.

They spur incumbents to file for re-election as quickly as possible. In the case of brand new House member Ray Rodrigues from Estero, that meant filing for re-election within 24 hours of winning his District 73 seat last fall in an all-Republican primary.

Running for re-election before serving even a day on the job?

It brings up a dynamic back-and-forth on the pros and cons.

Declaring for re-election so soon sends a signal of how serious the incumbent is about his or her job — a good sign. Or is it a strong-arm tactic to use the power of the incumbency for self-preservation?

Does it mean House members are continually running for re-election rather than listening and leading? Or does it keep politicians on their toes and always responsive to constituents?

Extending House members' terms to four years could let them gain insights and skills to get more accomplished. Or would longer terms merely make House members more entrenched and prone to the partisan gridlock that we see marring high-level politics already?

Interest in government is high in Southwest Florida, and veteran observers of the political scene no doubt have more arguments on both sides of the question to add to these starter points.

While we are glad that incumbents are open and frank about their plans, it's time to have a full discussion about this. Perhaps our local political parties in the interest of bipartisanship and good governance might start and nurture it.